The word “Citizenship” seems to be a buzz word for both political parties and their speech writers. The point they are desperately trying to make is that Americans need to be good citizens if they wish to “change” the world. I fear that neither party really knows what good citizenship looks like, nor do they practice the principles of citizenship.

What are the characteristics of Citizenship? Every quarter, in the school where I teach, students who exemplify good citizenship receive an award. Here is the scale that is followed when choosing a student:

COURAGE — Student must exhibit bravery, valor and guts. It takes courage to stand up for what is right, when the crowd is going in the opposite direction,

HONOR – Student exhibits loyalty, respect, and trust towards others.

LEADERSHIP—Promotes respect for authority, school policies, and property. Leads others to do the same.

SERVICE—Accepts responsibility; shows initiative. Does things without being asked, that benefit others and not just self.

RESPECT – Does unto others as he/she would have done to them. Conscientious and thoughtful of others.

If I had to award our politicians, leaders, political parties, CEO’s, Bankers, and others who run our country with a Citizenship Award, I wonder if any of them could meet the criteria. When November rolls around and it is time for Americans to vote, I hope they will consider whether the person they will vote in for the job of president, senator, representative, etc. can meet the criteria elementary students must meet in order to be a good citizen. Our leaders should be the model that the citizens of the country follow. It will be interesting to see if they can live up to these high standards and “change” the world.

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I owe Terry1954 a great big hug for nominating Grandmother Musings for the Liebster Blog Award. When I first began blogging, I would read other blogger’s posts and wonder at all the awards posted. I wondered if I would ever receive an award. In the spring, Terry1954 sent me a note saying that she had nominated me for the Sisterhood Award. I was so excited that I called my husband at work to let him know that I had won an award. Since then, I have been honored with several awards, and I owe it all to Terry for starting the blessings.

Please visit Terry at her blog. She is a loving and beautiful woman who shares the highs and lows of life with her readers. She affectionately cares for her brother, Al, with Parkinson’s disease. Terry also writes wonderful poems and stories to warm your heart. She is a very talented writer and blogger for whom you will want to follow.

The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. What is a Liebster? The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

So what do we have to do to show our appreciation?

Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged to answer.

Choose 11 bloggers and link them in your post.

Go to their page and tell them.

If you could go anywhere, where would you go, and why?

I would like to go to the Bahamas or some island paradise. I want to feel the warmth of the white sands in my toes, smell the ocean and the tropical flowers, and just relax.

What was your reason for starting a blog on WordPress?

My reason for starting a blog was to write. I have always been a writer, but was not practicing the craft. My blog gives me a place and a reason to write every day.

What is your most frequently visited blog and why?

20 lines or less is a blog I frequent often. I love to see what new challenges are posted.

Did you look at Freshly Pressed today? If so, which featured blog post did you like the most?

It has taken me a few days to gather this together due to my trip to Las Vegas, however, I am back and honored to accept the Versatile Blogger Award from Nicole over at NMNPHX. Not only does Nicole have a great blog of her own and is celebrating its anniversary, she also has been a great supporter of Grandmother Musings, and has become a friend. So thank you Nicole for the nomination!

RULES:

1. Add the award to your blog

2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you

3. Mention 7 random things about yourself

4. List the rules (these are the rules)

5. Pass on the award to 15 bloggers or as many as you reasonably can.

7 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Grandmother Musings

1. Cooking is something I love to do. I enjoy finding new recipes to spice up the weekly menu for my family.

2. I didn’t figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was thirty.

3. Thank Goodness ear plugs have been invented! I would never get to sleep without them.

4. I love to Improv and I am currently taking classes at a local college. I also teach it to Jr. High kids.

5. Recently, I was diagnosed with a dairy, gluten, and corn intolerance. This was quite a challenge on vacation.

This morning I received and unexpected gift from terry 1954. My pleasant surprise was the One Lovely Blog Award! Thank you, terry1954 for sharing the award with me and supporting my blog. I truly appreciate your kindness.

The rules for this award are as follows:

1.Give credit to the awesome person who nominated you.

2.Describe 7 things about yourself.

3.Nominate 15 other bloggers.

7 things about me…

1.Ketchup is not my friend.

2.I can never find any really cute shoes, because I have giant feet.

3.My patio table is made out of scrap wood.

4.A visit to Europe is on my bucket list.

5.The fastest speed I ever traveled was 116 MPH on the back of a motorcycle. It was exhilarating, and I was very young!

6.Even though I have taken two Spanish classes in my life and passed, I learned more Spanish from Sesame Street. Agua any one? It is too Caliente in here.

7.During summer vacation, Mondays lose their meaning to me.

The following extraordinary bloggers I would like to nominate for the One Lovely Blog Award…